With the United States officially re-imposing sanctions against Iran, many countries step up their criticisms of Washington’s unilateral approach in the international arena. Russia, Germany and Turkey are among the countries already stated that they won’t abide by the new US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

In the wake of the new round of US sanctions against Iran, aimed at targeting the country’s oil industry and banking system, the leader of the Islamic Republic appears defiant, saying that the American pressures will lead to nowhere and Iran has always been the victor in its face-offs with the US.

South Korean and U.S. diplomats held talks over Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Friday, drawing fresh attention to whether Seoul will join the new geopolitical initiative seen as targeting an assertive China.

While the first round of the new phase of US sanctions against Iran has come to effect since three days ago, the European countries are showing more decisiveness in their desire to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.

Iranian foreign minister who is at an official trip to Singapore, signed the signed a friendship treaty with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Amid the new, increasing wave of US pressures, the move could improve Iran’s international stance, providing it with alternative contexts for diplomatic interactions.

One day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned the US not to “play with the lion’s tale” on Iran, his American counterpart threatens Iran with what “few throughout history have suffered before.” The war of words between Tehran and Washington comes amid the new wave of American sanctions against Iran.

After being in an intensive process of talks for weeks to find ways to save the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran and the European Union are both saying that actual measures for this purpose are completely in reach. In this vein, the European countries are upgrading their legal provisions to deal with the new US sanctions against Iran.

While the new phase of western intervention in the Middle East has made the region prone to more instability, some of the Arab countries still prefer to keep their focus on Iran. The Arab League’s recent allegations against the Islamic Republic has sparked Iran’s clear reaction.

After expressing concerns over Washington’s plans to create a new armed force in northern Syria, it seems that Iran and Turkey are becoming more vocal in condemning the move. While Iran has interpreted the US plans “interference” in Syria’s internal affairs, Turkish president vowed to take actual measures against the new force.

As the new round of US-mediated negotiations has been underway recently, the opposition’s reluctance to put aside their radical positions has once again overshadowed the success of the diplomatic process.

The process of finding a political solution to end the six-year conflict in Syria has been accelerated after the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey agreed on the bases of the process in Sochi. Now, in another development, it seems that the US has started to adapt its Syrian policy with the new developments.

Emmerson Mnangagwa, elected Sunday as the new leader of Zimbabwe’s ruling political party and positioned to take over as the country’s leader, has engineered a remarkable comeback using skills he no doubt learned from his longtime mentor, President Robert Mugabe.

As the battles are still ongoing in different parts of Syria to liberate the territories under terrorists’ control, the United Nations has declared the new round of Syrian peace talks to be held within a month. Meanwhile, reports indicate that most part of the country has already been retaken from ISIS.

After successfully retaking Mosul, the most important ISIS stronghold in Iraq, Iraqi security forces together with popular armed groups are preparing the next stage of operation to completely expel the terrorists out of their country. Tal Afar is the main focus in the new phase of their operation.